This study explored the extent to which perceived parental support, perceived career barriers, and adherence to career myths would predict two specific dimensions of the commitment to career choices process (i.e., vocational exploration and commitment and tendency to foreclose) in a sample of Mexican American college students. Perceived parental support was significantly positively predictive of vocational exploration and commitment and significantly negatively predictive of a tendency to foreclose prematurely on career options in Mexican American college students. Furthermore, both perceived career barriers and adherence to career myths were significantly positively predictive of Mexican American college students’ tendency to foreclose on career choices. Future research directions are presented.
Binen, L. M., Franta, P. J., & Thye, R. (1995). Career Support Scale. Unpublished manuscript, University of Missouri-Columbia.
2.
Blustein, D. L., Ellis, M. V., & Devenis, L. E. (1989). The development and validation of a two dimensional model of the commitment to career choice process. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 35, 342-378.
3.
Bullington, R. L., & Arbona, C. (2001). Career development tasks of Mexican American adolescents: An exploratory study. Journal of Career Development, 28(2), 139-153.
4.
Carter, R. T., & Constantine, M. G. (2000). Career maturity, life role salience, and racial/ethnic identity among Black and Asian American college students. Journal of Career Assessment, 8, 173-187.
5.
Constantine, M. G., & Barón, A. (1997). Assessing and counseling Chicano(a) college students: A conceptual and practical framework. In C. C. Lee (Ed.), Multicultural issues in counseling: New approaches to diversity (2nd ed., pp. 295-314). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
6.
Constantine, M. G., Erickson, C. D., Banks, R. W., & Timberlake, T. L. (1998). Challenges to the career development of urban racial and ethnic minority youth: Implications for vocational intervention. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 26, 83-95.
7.
Dillard, J. M., & Campbell, N. J. (1981). Influences of Puerto Rican, Black, and Anglo parents’ career behavior on their adolescent children’s career development. Vocational Guidance Quarterly, 30, 139-148.
8.
Fisher, T. A., & Griggs, M. B. (1995). Factors that influence the career development of African American and Latino youth. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 20, 57-74.
9.
Fisher, T. A., & Padmawidjaja, I. (1999). Parental influences on career development perceived by African American and Mexican American college students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 27, 136-152.
10.
Flores, L. Y., & O’Brien, K. M. (2002). The career development of Mexican American adolescent women: A test of social cognitive career theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 14-27.
11.
Gomez, M. J., Fassinger, R. E., Prosser, J., Cooke, K., Mejia, B., & Luna, J. (2001). Voces abriendo caminos (Voices forging paths): A qualitative study of the career development of notable Latinas. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 286-300.
12.
Hardin, E. E., Leong, F. T. L., & Osipow, S. H. (2001). Cultural relativity in the conceptualization of career maturity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58, 36-52.
13.
Kenny, M. E., Blustein, D. L., Chaves, A., Grossman, J. M., & Gallagher, L. A. (2003). The role of perceived barriers and relational support in the educational and vocational lives of urban high school students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50, 142-155.
14.
Ladany, N., Melincoff, D. S., Constantine, M. G., & Love, R. (1997). At-risk urban high school students’ commitment to career choices. Journal of Counseling and Development, 76, 45-52.
15.
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2000). Contextual supports and barriers to career choice: A social cognitive analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 36-49.
16.
Lutz, J. G., & Eckert, T. L. (1994). The relationship between canonical correlation analysis and multivariate multiple regression. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 54, 666-675.
17.
Luzzo, D. A., & Jenkins-Smith, A. (1996). Perceived occupational barriers among Mexican American college students. Texas Counseling Association Journal, 24(1), 1-8.
18.
Luzzo, D. A., & McWhirter, E. H. (2001). Sex and ethnic differences in the perception of educational and career-related barriers and levels of coping efficacy. Journal of Counseling and Development, 79, 61-67.
19.
McMahon, M., Carroll, J., & Gillies, R. M. (2001). Occupational aspirations of sixth-grade children. Australian Journal of Career Development, 10, 25-31.
20.
McWhirter, E. H. (1997). Perceived barriers to education and career: Ethnic and gender differences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 50, 124-140.
21.
McWhirter, E. H., Hackett, G., & Bandalos, D. L. (1998). A causal model of the educational plans and career expectations of Mexican American high school girls. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 166-181.
22.
Neimann, Y. F. (2001). Stereotypes about Chicanas and Chicanos: Implications for counseling. The Counseling Psychologist, 29, 55-90.
23.
Otto, L. (2000). Youth perspectives on parental career influence. Journal of Career Development, 27, 111-118.
24.
Paa, H. K., & McWhirter, E. H. (2000). Perceived influences on high school students’ current career expectations. Career Development Quarterly, 49, 29-44.
25.
Palladino Schultheiss, D. E., Palma, T. V., Predragovich, K. S., & Glasscock, J. M. J. (2002). Relational influences on career paths: Siblings in context. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 302-310.
26.
Reyes, O., Kobus, K., & Gillock, K. (1999). Career aspirations of urban, Mexican American adolescent females. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 21, 366-382.
27.
Tang, M., Fouad, N. A., & Smith, P. L. (1999). Asian Americans’ career choices: A path model to examine factors influencing their career choices. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54, 142-157.
28.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2000). Statistical abstract of the United States: Retrieved March 21, 2003, from http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/education/ppl-169/tab01a.pdf
29.
Woodrick, C. P. (1979). The development and standardization of an attitude scale designed to measure career myths held by college students. Dissertation Abstracts International, 40(8-A), 4506-4507.
30.
Young, R. A., Friesen, J. D., & Borycki, B. (1994). Narrative structure and parental influence in career development. Journal of Adolescence, 17, 173-191.
31.
Young, R. A., Friesen, J. D., & Dillabough, J. M. (1991). Personal constructions of family influence related to career development. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 25, 183-190.
